The purpose of this proposal is to request support for "The Tenth Annual Midwest Microbial Pathogenesis Conference." The conference has as its major emphasis the annual presentation of current microbial pathogenesis research from the academic institutions within the Midwestern portion of the United States. The conference has provided an excellent venue for interactions by faculty, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. Representatives from colleges and universities from Illinois, Michigan, Kentucky, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Missouri, Indiana and Ohio regularly attend this conference. The conference attracts between 200 to 250 attendees, over 70% of who are graduate students or postdoctoral fellows. The first conference in the series was held in 1994 in Iowa City, Iowa and conferences have been held every year since then, alternating venues at different institutions across the Midwest. In the past three years, it was held in Columbus, Ohio, Champaign-Urbana, Illinois and Indianapolis, Indiana. In 2003, it will be held in Iowa City, Iowa and in 2004 in East Lansing, Michigan. The conferences in the past have allowed for the establishment of close interactions among scientists and students from different institutions with different scientific backgrounds for an exchange of ideas, expertise, and new technologies. Such interdisciplinary collaborations have fostered open dialogues and it is expected that the Tenth Annual Midwest Microbial Pathogenesis Conference will continue in this tradition.